Brian Knapp: Brookins by rear-naked choke submission in the
first. I think his combination of quickness and craftiness takes
Johnson out of the fight early, frustrates him and leads to a big
mistake.

Tristen Critchfield: Brookins gets the edge in strength of
schedule, having already faced Jose Aldo and
Yves
Jabouin in his MMA career. But anyone who impresses Mike Tyson
with his speed, as Johnson did, is not someone to take lightly.
Johnson hasn't been lacking for talented sparring partners during
his recent time training at Jackson’s
Mixed Martial Arts. If he stays away from Brookins' chokes,
this one goes the distance. Brookins by split decision.

Tomasz Marciniak: The
UFC and
WEC could not have come together at a better time for Brookins,
who should ply his trade at 145. Johnson is a legit lightweight,
but he prefers to take his rivals down to the ground. That seems to
be his downfall here, as Brookins is much more skilled in that
department. If Johnson gets rolling on the feet he might win this,
but if he has problems with Brookins’ range and resorts to
takedowns, I see him getting submitted.

Tim Leidecker: Both fighters come from a wrestling
background with Brookins having the edge in both submission skills
and experience. As a featherweight, Brookins was only one of two
fighters who managed to go into the third round with 145-pound king
Aldo (the other was former champion Urijah
Faber). All of Johnson’s four career losses have come by way of
submission, so it is clear what he will have worked on in
preparation for this fight. Brookins will put his more versatile
skillset on display Saturday night and win on points.

Luca Fury: This fight offers a classic “striker versus
grappler” element. Stephan, a former Golden Gloves champion, will
look to keep the fight standing, while Igor, a solid ground
fighter, will look to take it to the mat. The problem here for Igor
is even if he gets the fight to the floor, he won’t be able to pass
Bonnar’s underrated guard and do any real damage, or lock in a
submission. Pokrajac’s only hope in this fight is to get Stephan
down and hold him there until the final bell rings. While Bonnar's
takedown defense is far from great, Igor doesn’t setup his
takedowns well enough to get Bonnar down before Stephan shoves him
off to side or grabs an underhook to defend the takedown. On the
feet, “The American Psycho" has a massive advantage: Stephan has
shown to be a very solid striker, while Pokrijak has been
out-struck by less-than-good strikers, such as Vladimir
Matyushenko. Once all is said and done, Bonnar should pick up
the decision victory by using superior striking and effective
takedown defense.

Tony Loiseleur: Since his memorable performance with
Forrest
Griffin in the first TUF finale , Bonnar has had it a bit rough
both in and out of the Octagon. Be that as it may, the Carlson
Gracie black belt should still have what it takes to match Pokrajac
on the feet -- and will likely be encouraged to fight harder if
Pokrajac’s punches make their mark early -- and more than enough
skill to control and dispatch the Croation on the canvas. It’s not
a lock in my book, but I expect a fun and competitive three rounder
with the “American Psycho” edging Pokrajac on the cards.

Lutfi Sariahmed: You remember the fight between Maia and
MacDonald back at UFC 87? You have to think this is going to go
along those same lines, right? I mean Maia's striking is about as
effective as yours or mine, so Grove doesn't have to worry about
getting knocked out again. Maia's game comes in his submission
prowess. Will he beat Grove? Yes. He'll submit him in the second
round; but this won't be a bad loss on Grove's ledger. He'll come
away as having given a tough effort but coming up just short
against a fighter that was clearly better than him on the
floor.

Critchfield: Grove's length is enough to give anyone fits,
but if any is up to the test, it's the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black
belt. Grove is comfortable on his back, but his grappling skills
don't match up with Maia, a former ADCC champion. Maia's last few
victories have gone the distance, but he notches a submission
victory over Grove here.

Leidecker: Even though he came out on the losing end in four
of his last eight fights, Grove has never been submitted in the
UFC. Prior to changing up his training by incorporating more
striking a year ago, Demian Maia had submitted all five of his UFC
opponents. As Grove has a distinct reach advantage on anybody and
everybody in the welterweight division, it is clear where Maia
needs to take this fight to win. Grove does have good jiu-jitsu,
but Maia is simply one of the top five BJJ players in MMA right
now. Maia will choke out Grove midway through the first round.

Loiseleur: Powerful and explosive as he is, Story won’t be
outwrestling Hendricks or putting him away on the feet. Also, given
Story’s tendency to fade later in the fight, I expect Hendricks to
take over once he starts bullying with the headlock and bringing
the fight down to the mat on his own terms. Hendricks will thus
maintain his unbeaten streak, outpointing Story throughout three
rounds.

Knapp: Story has won four in a row and nine of his last 10.
He's flying under the radar a bit, but he has momentum on his side.
That said, I think Hendricks brings way too much wrestling to the
table. I think he keeps Story on his back for much of the fight,
scores with ground-and-pound and takes a decision.

Marciniak: Story struggles against better wrestlers. That is
why he lost to Hathaway, that is why he had so much trouble with
Osipczak, when the Brit surprisingly put him on his back foot.
Hendricks is one of the top wrestlers in the division and I think
he shuts down Story's game rather easily.